Status of Public Education in Rural Areas and Small Towns: A Comparative Analysis

NEA Research

September 1998

Introduction

This report is to examine the current status of public education in rural areas and small towns. Included in the analysis are topics related to schools, students, teachers, technology, and education funding. Seven strategic recommendations are developed based on the analysis.

To reveal a clear picture of the current status, rural schools are compared with central city schools and urban fringe schools.

According to the definitions of the Department of Education and the Bureau of the Census, a rural area is a place with a population of less than 2,500 and is defined as rural. A small town is a place not within a SMSA (Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area), with a population of less than 25,000 but greater or equal to 2,500.

Urban fringe is a place within a SMSA of a large or mid-size central city or a large town with a population greater than or equal to 25,000.

Central cities include large and mid-size central cities. A large central city is a central city of a SMSA with population greater or equal to 400,000 or a population density greater than or equal to 6,000 per square mile. A mid-size central city is a central city of a SMSA but not designated a large central city.

The report is primarily based on data from national research studies conducted by federal agencies such as the Department of Education and the General Accounting Office.

The results of this report will assist the NEA and OCRE (Organization Concerned about Rural Education) in addressing the needs of education in rural areas and small towns.

Schools and Students

About half of the nation’s public schools and approximately 40 percent of public school students are in rural areas and small towns. Rural schools are smaller; less likely to have minority students; less likely to provide bilingual, ESL, magnet, and job placement programs; but are more likely to offer remedial programs and Chapter One programs.

There are approximately 80,700 public schools nationwide, with 24 percent in central cities, 27 percent in urban fringe areas, and 49 percent in rural areas.

There are approximately 41.6 million students in public schools nationwide, with 29 percent in central cities, 33 percent in urban fringe areas, and 38 percent in rural areas.

Among 39,644 public schools in rural areas, 67 percent are elementary, 29 percent secondary, and 5 percent combined.

In public schools nationwide, there is an average of 17.0 students per full-time-equivalent (FTE) teacher. The ratio is 17.5 in central city schools, 18.4 in urban fringe schools, and 16.1 in rural schools.

On average, a central city school has 634 students, an urban fringe school has 619 students, and a rural school has 401 students.

Nationwide, 32 percent of public school students belong to a minority group. It is 54 percent in central city schools, 30 percent in urban fringe schools, and 19 percent in rural schools.

In central city public schools, 9.4 percent are limited English proficient students. It is 4.8 percent in urban fringe schools, and 2.1 percent in rural schools.

Rural schools (86%) are more likely to offer remedial programs than central city schools (79%) and urban fringe schools (82%).

Rural schools (68%) are also more likely to provide Chapter One programs than central city schools (58%) and urban fringe schools (53%).

By comparison, rural schools (2.3 percent) are less likely to provide magnet programs than central city schools (13%) and urban fringe schools (8.3%).

Rural schools (12.8%) are also less likely to provide bilingual programs than central city schools (29.2%) and urban fringe schools (16.9%).

Rural schools (29%) are significantly less likely to provide ESL programs than central city schools (54%) and urban fringe schools (58%).

Rural schools (95%) do not differ much from schools in central city (95%) and in urban fringe areas (97%) in having a library.

Rural schools also do not differ much from other schools in providing:

• disability services (90%)
• diagnostic services (82%)
• medical services (59%)
• free or reduced price lunch (95%)
• drug and alcohol prevention (94%)
• substance abuse counseling (37%)

Compared with central city schools (42%) and urban fringe schools (37%), rural schools (18%) are less likely to offer extended day programs.

Rural schools (73%) are also markedly less likely to offer kindergarten programs than central city schools (81%) and urban fringe schools (77%).

Rural schools with 12^th grade (21%) are also much less likely to offer job placement services than central city schools (40%) and urban fringe schools (31%).

Rural high school graduates (56%) are equally likely as central city graduates (56%) to apply to 2- or 4-year colleges, but less likely to do so than urban fringe graduates (59%).

School Employees

Approximately 40 percent of public school teachers are in rural and small town schools. Compared with teachers in central city schools and urban fringe schools, they tend to be less educated, slightly less experienced, younger, and less likely to belong to a minority group.

There are approximately 2.56 million public school teachers, of which 28 percent are in central city schools, 31 percent in urban fringe schools, and 41 percent in rural community schools.

Rural school teachers (28.2%) are slightly more likely to be male than central city schools (26.5%) and urban fringe schools (26.1%).

Rural school teachers (8%) are less likely to belong to a minority group than central city teachers (25%) and teachers in urban fringe areas (11%).

On average, rural school teachers, aged 42.2, are slightly younger than central city school teachers (43.7) and teachers in urban fringe schools (43.7).

Rural school principals (75%) are much more likely to be male than principals of central city schools (53%) and urban fringe schools (59%).

Principals of rural schools (6.9%) are much less likely to belong to a minority group than principals of central city schools (34.6%) and urban fringe schools (15.1%).

Rural teachers are not as well educated as their peers, with 37 percent having earned a Master’s degree, compared with 44 percent of teachers in central city schools and 47 percent in urban fringe schools.

Rural school teachers are also slightly less experienced. On average, they have 14.7 years of teaching experience, compared with their colleagues in central city schools (15.1) and urban fringe schools (15.9).

Rural teachers (31.7%) are more likely to have participated in textbook or materials committees in the previous school year than central city teachers (25.2%) and urban fringe school teachers (28.5%).

Rural teachers are equally likely as their peers to have participated in the previous school year in the following activities:

• School or district workshops or in-service training (94%)
• Extension, adult education, or college courses (39%)
• Professional association activity (51%)
• Curriculum committees (16%).

Rural school teachers are less likely to have participated in in-service or professional development programs more than eight hours in length on the following topics:

• Education technology
• Teaching methods
• Subject fields
• Student assessment
• Cooperative learning.

Teaching Assignments

Teachers of rural schools and small town schools spend more time being with students at schools and outside school hours. They have fewer students in departments and in self-contained classrooms.

On average, rural school teachers are required to be at school slightly more hours (32.4) per week than their peers in central city schools (31.7) and in urban fringe schools (31.6).

Rural school teachers spend an average of 3.7 hours per week in activities with students outside school hours, compared with 2.9 hours spent by teachers in central city schools and 3.1 hours by teachers in urban fringe schools.

There are fewer students for rural school teachers in departments (22) than those for central city school teachers (24.3) and for urban fringe school teachers (24).

Similarly, there are fewer students for rural teachers in self-contained classrooms (24) than those for central city teachers (25.7) and for urban fringe teachers (26.3).

Compensation

Teachers in rural schools and small town schools have smaller incomes. They are less likely to receive health insurance.

Full-time teachers in rural schools receive an average annual salary of $33,298, less than their counterparts in central city schools ($37,173) and in urban fringe schools ($40,842).

Teachers in rural schools are less likely than their peers in central city schools and in urban fringe schools to receive the following benefits:

• Medical insurance (85%, 89%, 89%)
• Dental insurance (55%, 70%, 77%)
• Group life insurance (54%, 63%, 68%)
• Pension contributions (57%, 64%, 68%)

Opinions

Teachers in rural schools and small town schools perceive the use of alcohol to be a more serious problem. They have more influence on policies regarding setting discipline policy and establishing curriculum, but less influence on policies regarding school budget decisions.

Teachers in rural schools (12%) are more likely to perceive use of alcohol as a serious problem in their schools than teachers in central city schools (7%) and urban fringe schools (8%).

Teachers in rural schools are less likely than teachers in central city schools and urban fringe schools to perceive the following as a serious problem in their schools:

• Student absenteeism (10%, 22%, 14%)
• Tardiness (6%, 18%, 11%)
• Verbal abuse of teachers (7%, 17%, 11%)
• Student disrespect for teachers (15%, 25%, 17%)

Teachers in rural schools are equally likely as their peers in urban fringe schools, but less likely than teachers in central city schools to perceive the following as a serious problem in their schools:

• Lack of parental involvement (24%, 24%, 36%)
• Student apathy (22%, 22%, 28%)

Teachers in rural schools (18%) are less likely than teachers in central city schools (29%), but more likely than those in urban fringe schools (13%) to perceive poverty as a serious problem in their schools.

Teachers in rural schools are more likely than teachers in central city schools and urban fringe schools to think that they have a great deal of influence on policies regarding the following issues:

• Setting discipline policy (37%, 32%, 35%)
• Establishing curriculum (40%, 28%, 34%)

Teachers in rural schools are equally likely as teachers in central city schools and urban fringe schools to think that they have a great deal of influence on policies regarding the following issues:

• Content of in-service training
• Hiring full-time teachers
• Teacher evaluation

Teachers in rural schools are less likely than teachers in central city schools and urban fringe schools to think that they have a great deal of influence on policies regarding school budget decisions.

Teachers in rural schools (12%) and those in urban fringe schools (12%) are equally satisfied with the overall working conditions. They are more satisfied than teachers in central city schools (9%).

Teachers in rural schools are equally satisfied as teachers in central city schools, but more satisfied than those in urban fringe schools with the following working conditions:

• Buffering and enforcement of rules (21%, 21%, 14%)
• Cooperation among staff (30%, 30%, 27%)
• Adequacy of resources (9%, 9%, 6%)

All teachers in the three areas are equally satisfied with administrative support and leadership.

Thirty-nine percent of rural school teachers "certainly would become a teacher again", compared with 40 percent of teachers in urban fringe schools and 36 percent in central city schools.

Teachers in rural schools (32%) are equally likely as their peers in central city schools (32%) to plan to remain teachers as long as able, but they are less likely to do so than their colleagues in urban fringe areas (35%).

Teacher Supply and Demand

Rural schools and small town schools are less likely to use substitute teachers to fill teaching vacancies. They are less likely to have teaching vacancies in some major fields such as math and physical sciences, but tend to have vacancies in music and agriculture.

With teaching vacancies, rural and small town schools (10%) are less likely to use substitute teachers than central city schools (24%) and urban fringe schools (16%). They (96%) are more likely to hire qualified teachers than central city schools (90%), but almost equally likely to do so than urban fringe schools (95%).

Compared with central city schools and urban fringe schools, rural area schools are less likely to have teaching vacancies in the following major fields:

• General elementary (82%)
• Special education (52%)
• Math (41%)
• Physical sciences (30%)
• Biology or life science (26%)
• ESL or bilingual education (21%)
• Foreign language (28%)

However, rural schools are more likely to have teaching vacancies in music (31%) and agriculture (9%).

Rural school teachers (6.3%) are slightly less likely to be first-time teachers than teachers in central cities (8.4%) and in urban fringe schools (7.5%).

School Conditions

Three out of 10 rural and small town schools have inadequate buildings. One in two schools have at least one inadequate building feature. Approximately one-half have unsatisfactory environmental conditions. About 4.6 million students are attending schools in inadequate buildings.

Thirty percent of schools in rural areas report at least one inadequate building, compared with 38 percent of central city schools and 29 percent of urban fringe schools.

About 4.6 million students in rural area schools are attending schools with at least one inadequate building, compared with 5.6 million students in central city schools and 3.5 million students in urban fringe schools.

Fifty-two percent of rural schools report at least one inadequate building feature, compared with 67 percent of central city schools and 57 percent of urban fringe schools.

Rural schools are less likely than central city schools and urban fringe schools to report the following inadequate building features:

• Roofs
• Exterior walls, finishes, windows, and doors
• Interior finishes
• HVAC
• Electrical power
• Electrical lighting
• Life safety codes

Rural schools (54%) are the least likely to have unsatisfactory environmental conditions, compared with central schools (65%) and urban fringe schools (59%).

Compared with central schools and urban fringe schools, rural schools are the least likely to have the following unsatisfactory environmental conditions:

• Lighting
• Heating
• Ventilation
• Indoor air quality
• Energy efficiency

Technology

Rural and small town schools report lower rates of Internet access and of using telecommunications to access information, keep records, and communicate with parents. Rural schools are more likely to use telecommunications for distance learning.

Urban fringe schools reported higher rates of Internet access than schools in rural locales. In 1996, 75 percent of urban fringe schools were connected to the Internet, compared with 60 percent of rural schools and 64 percent of city schools.

Among those rural schools that do not currently have access to the Internet, 87 percent plan to obtain access by year 2000.

Sixteen percent of instructional rooms in urban fringe schools have access to the Internet, compared with 14 percent of instructional rooms in rural schools and 12 percent in city schools.

Rural schools (71%) reported lower rates of using advanced telecommunications (including but not limited to the Internet) to access information than urban fringe schools (81%). Seventy-two percent of city schools reported using advanced telecommunications to access information.

Sixty percent of rural schools used advanced telecommunications for record keeping within schools or school districts, compared with 70 percent of city schools and 71 percent of urban fringe schools.

Sixteen percent of rural schools used advanced telecommunications to communicate with parents, compared with 26 percent of city schools and 25 percent of urban fringe schools.

Rural schools (29%) are more likely to use advanced telecommunications for distance learning than central city schools (22%) and urban fringe schools (19%).

Teachers in rural schools are almost equally likely as their peers in city schools and urban fringe schools to use advanced telecommunications for teaching, professional development, and curriculum development.

Rural (13%) and urban fringe (13%) schools are more likely to mandate advanced telecommunications training for teachers than city schools (7%).

Urban fringe schools (39%) are more likely than city (30%) and rural (30%) schools to encourage advanced telecommunications training for teachers.

Central city schools (59%) are more likely than urban fringe schools (46%) and rural schools (50%) to leave up to teachers to initiate participation in advanced telecommunications training.

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 provided $2.25 billion in discounts on telecommunications services sold to schools. Half of $2.25 billion may help defray costs in rural, insular, and other high-cost areas.

Funding

In 1995, the amount of total public school funding was approximately $232.6 billion.

Of this amount, the federal government provided 9.4 percent, the state governments 45.5

percent, and the local governments 45.1 percent.

Of this $232.6 billion total funding in 1995, 37.5 percent went to central city schools, 40.3 percent to urban fringe schools, and 22.1 percent to rural and small town schools.

Of the approximately $22 billion in school funds from federal, 45.8 percent went to schools in central cities, 30.8 percent to urban fringe schools, and 23.4 percent to rural and small town schools.

Of the $105.8 billion from states, 39.1 percent went to central city schools, 35.7 percent to urban fringe schools, and 25.2 percent to rural and small town schools.

Of the approximately $104.9 billion from local governments, 34.2 percent went to central city schools, 46.9 percent to urban fringe schools, and 18.8 percent to schools of rural areas and small towns.

About $51.5 billion went to schools in rural areas and small towns, of which 10 percent came from the federal government, 51.7 percent from states, and 38.3 percent from local governments.

Strategic Recommendations

• Advocate more funding for rural education

While half of the nation’s public schools and about 40 percent of the nation’s students are in rural and small town areas, only 22 percent of the total education budget ($232.6 billion in 1995) goes to schools in rural and small towns.

Of approximately $22 billion school funding from federal in 1995, 23.4 percent went to rural and small town schools.

Of $105.8 billion from states, 25.2 percent went to rural and small town schools.

Of approximately $104.9 billion from local governments, 18.8 percent went to schools in rural areas and small towns.

• Promote better salaries and benefits for teachers in rural education

Teachers in rural education earn lower incomes. They receive an average annual salary of $33,298, less than their counterparts in central city schools ($37,173) and in urban fringe schools ($40,842).

They are also less likely than their peers to receive benefits in medical insurance, dental insurance, group life insurance, and pension contributions.

• Seek to improve rural school conditions

Thirty percent of schools in rural areas report at least one inadequate building.

About 4.6 million students in rural area schools are attending schools with at least one inadequate building.

Fifty-two percent of rural schools report at least one inadequate building feature such as roofs, exterior walls, finishes, windows, doors, electrical power, or electrical lighting.

• Promote Internet access and use of telecommunications in rural schools

Rural schools (60%) have lower rates of Internet access than city schools (64%) and urban fringe schools (75%).

Rural schools (71%) also reported lower rates of using advanced telecommunications to access information than urban fringe schools (81%).

Sixty percent of rural schools used advanced telecommunications for record keeping within schools or school districts, compared with 70 percent of city schools and 71 percent of urban fringe schools.

Sixteen percent of rural schools used advanced telecommunications to communicate with parents, compared with 26 percent of city schools and 25 percent of urban fringe schools.

• Encourage rural school teachers to enhance their teaching qualifications and skills by taking courses and specific professional training

Rural school teachers are not as well educated as their peers, with 37 percent having earned a Master’s degree, compared with 44 percent of teachers in central city schools and 47 percent in urban fringe schools.

Rural school teachers are less likely to have participated in in-service or professional development programs more than eight hours in length on education technology, teaching methods, subject fields, student assessment, and cooperative learning.

• Help teachers of rural schools deal with alcohol use by students

Teachers in rural schools (12%) are more likely than teachers in central city schools (7%) and urban fringe schools (8%) to perceive that the use of alcohol is a serious problem in their schools

• Assist teachers of rural schools in influencing policies on school budget decisions

Teachers in rural schools are less likely than teachers in central city schools and urban fringe schools to think that they have a great deal of influence on policies regarding school budget decisions.

Bibliography

Federal Communications Commission, Commission Implements Telecom Act’s Universal Service Provisions: Adopts Plan to Ensure Access to Affordable Telecommunications Services for All Americans, May 1997

General Accounting Office, School Facilities, America’s Schools Report Differing Conditions, June 1996

General Accounting Office, School Facilities, Profiles of School Condition by State, June 1996

Howley, Craig B., & Barker, Bruce, The National Information Infrastructure: Keeping Rural Values and Purposes in Mind, April 1997

Howley, Craig B., & Eckman, John M., Sustainable Small Schools: A Handbook for Rural Education, 1997

National Association of State Boards of Education, Rural Education: What’s Down the Road for Schools, July 1996

National Center for Education Statistics, Advanced Telecommunications in U.S. Public Elementary and Secondary Schools, Fall 1996, February 1997

National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, 1997

National Center for Education Statistics, Schools and Staffing in the United States: A Statistical Profile, July 1996

National Center for Education Statistics, Students’ Reports of School Crimes: 1989 and 1995, March 1998

Stern, Joyce D., The Condition of Education in Rural Schools, June 1994